Former India captain Mithali Raj has been appointed as a mentor and advisor by Gujarat Giants for the first season of the Women's Premier League (WPL), PTI reported. The highest run-scorer in women's cricket history, Mithali has always been quite vocal about having a women's IPL in India as this would also help in promoting women's cricket at the grassroots level.
On 25 January, Adani Sportsline acquired Women's Premier League (WPL) side Gujarat Giants for Rs 1289 crore, making it the costliest team to participate in the tournament. The inaugural season of the Women's Premier League is likely to be played from March 4 to 24, most likely between Women's T20 World Cup and Men's IPL.
"The inaugural season of the Women's Premier League is a fantastic move for women's cricket and the involvement of the Adani Group is a massive boost for the sport as well," said Mithali on Saturday.
"Women's cricket is growing steadily, and this kind of impetus will undoubtedly encourage young women to consider taking up cricket professionally.
"I believe that the high-impact participation of corporates will help hasten the process of eventually bringing more glory to India.
"This level of influence can help strengthen the sporting ecosystem and enhance opportunities for women athletes," she added.
Adani Enterprises director Pranav Adani called Mithali a role model and hoped her presence will help attract new talent in not just cricket but other sports as well.
"Mithali Raj is a role model for the young generation and we are delighted to have such an inspirational athlete on board to mentor our women's cricket team," said Pranav.
"We believe that the presence of international sporting heroes like Mithali will attract new talent not just into cricket but also into every other sport and transform the professional sports ecosystem," he added.
(With PTI Inputs)